“I was told I care more about results than I care about the band. How do I navigate?” In a pipe band, that line hits hard. It can make you defensive. Or it can make you question everything. Neither response helps. Because feedback like this is usually abstract. “You care more about winning than about band members.” Okay. What rehearsal? What comment? What decision? What tone? What pattern? If feedback is not tied to something observable — something you said, did, or repeated

Leadership in a pipe band isn’t about rank, medals, or who can play the cleanest birl in the circle. It’s about what you model when nobody is watching. We talk a lot about toughness in this tradition. Long rehearsals. Cold parades. Tough adjudications. Early call times. We push through. We show up. We carry on. But here’s a truth worth saying out loud: strong people struggle too. If leaders never admit when they’re tired, discouraged, overwhelmed, or wrestling with life out

Every pipe band has people with different mindsets. Skill level, years playing, rank, or title do not define mindset. Personal choice and daily effort do. A simple framework helps explain three common mindsets inside any band: owners, renters, and squatters. None connect to stripes, titles, or seniority. Each connects to attitude, responsibility, and follow-through. Let’s bring this idea into pipe band life. Owners Owners feel invested in everything involving band sound, cult

Pipe band life looks simple from outside: music, marching, uniforms, competition, ceremony. Step inside circle, though, and a different reality appears. Growth runs uneven. Progress hides, then shows up all at once. Effort feels heavy, yet sound must feel light. Over years in rehearsal halls, on contest fields, and during memorial services, a series of paradoxes shows up again and again. Each one feels backward at first — yet each one holds real wisdom for players and leaders

In a pipe band built on mission, service, and musical standards, ownership sits with leadership — always. Every rehearsal result, every performance, every communication, every success, every failure connects back to leaders first. Ownership covers all of it. Ownership, however, does not mean one person carries every task. Confusion often grows around this idea. Some read “extreme ownership” and assume a leader must personally handle every detail, every correction, every plan,

If you’ve ever marched through a tree-lined street in Raleigh on a warm spring morning, you know this city feels different. There’s shade, quiet strength, and a sense of patience — a feeling that the land itself was part of the plan from the start. That’s not an accident. Raleigh’s nickname, the City of Oaks, tells a story about how this place grew and why so many of us love to call it home. Roots That Go Back to the Beginning When Raleigh was first established in 1792 as Nor

Seeing an issue versus owning it I walked into a rehearsal session recently to talk through a problem any band should have caught long before it landed on a calendar. For weeks, we’d struggled with consistency . Tunes learned unevenly. Transitions rough. Tempo drifting. Everyone felt it on the floor, everyone heard it in the circle, and everyone knew rehearsal time kept slipping away without real progress. On paper, the explanation sounded simple: people weren’t preparing the

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wake and District Public Safety Pipes and Drums to Perform at National Police Week Honor Guard Tribute Reflecting Pool at the U.S. Capitol — Thursday, May 14, 2026 Raleigh, North Carolina —  Wake and District Public Safety Pipes and Drums will travel to Washington, DC in May 2026 to participate in the National Police Week Honor Guard Tribute  at the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool  on Thursday, May 14, 2026 . The performance will take place between approxim

Few experiences rival the sight and sound of a pipe band moving together. Crowds stop. Conversations fade. History arrives without introduction. Yet across North America, pursuit of instant results pulls talent from local bands, leaving culture thinner and communities quieter. Competition can reward excellence, but culture sustains it. When victories come without roots, tradition pays the price.

As Wake and District enters its twentieth year, we pause long enough to take stock—not to slow down, but to move forward with intention. Two decades of music, service, travel, competition, memorials, friendships, and shared purpose have shaped who we are. We carry pride in our past, gratitude for everyone who brought us here, and a clear responsibility for what comes next. Year twenty marks more than an anniversary. It marks a recommitment. We are introducing new music. We ar

Well… friends, our Band Batch Bourbon Release and Burns Bash with partners at Olde Raleigh Distillery has faced a true Series of Unfortunate Events worthy of a Lemony Snicket chapter. First came weather mischief. Next arrived label misprints. Somewhere along way, stars and moon decided misalignment felt like a fine idea too. Two back-to-back cancellations never feel good, and we share your disappointment. Please know our band, along with Brandon and his incredible team, has

Strong pipe bands do not emerge by accident. They are built through intentional leadership, thoughtful preparation, and a shared commitment to musical excellence. While every ensemble carries its own character and goals, certain principles consistently support success across seasons, performances, and changing conditions. At its core, effective pipe band leadership blends musicianship with people skills. Musical ability alone rarely sustains a group. A leader must understand

A Friendly Reminder About Value, Service, and Respect for the Music A recent social media post sparked far more conversation than expected: “Wait… you expect to be paid to march in our parade? What about the exposure?!” Yeah. No. Appreciate the invite though. What followed surprised even us. The response was overwhelming. Messages poured in. Many came from event organizers, municipalities, and community leaders asking an honest and reasonable question: What are your rates?

Much of what happens inside the Wake and District Pipe Band lives quietly. No spotlight follows it. No program note explains it. No applause marks the final note. James B. Hunt Jr., a one-time Wilson County farm boy who rose to become a four-term North Carolina governor, has died at 88. He transformed public schools, championed Smart Start and shaped state politics for decades. By Kevin Keister Pipers and drummers show up early, stand steady, tune carefully, and offer music a

Raleigh, NC — February 2026  — Wake & District Public Safety Pipes & Drums will host an informal Robert Burns Night celebration on Saturday, February 28 , bringing music, heritage, and community together at Olde Raleigh Distillery. Evening festivities also mark two milestones: 20 years of Wake & District plus five years of Olde Raleigh Distillery, highlighted by release of a limited-edition Band Batch Bourbon crafted in partnership for occasion. After a pair of weather and pr

Some years announce themselves with noise. Others arrive quietly and ask a harder question. 2025 asked us whether we would keep showing up. Monday after Monday. Call time after call time. In joy, in grief, in fatigue, in celebration. And we did. Not perfectly. Not effortlessly. But faithfully. This year unfolded in rehearsal rooms, parking lots, tuning spaces, and long conversations after the drums and drones went quiet. It lived in early mornings before ceremonies and late

As the holiday break nears and the contest season wraps up, conversations you start now with leaders and peers can shape how others see your potential, influence your role in the band’s plans, and set you up for musical growth in 2026. 1. The “What Should I Start Practicing?” Talk With Your Pipe Major or Drum Sergeant Too many players assume leaders already know what they want from them next year. Great musical leadership welcomes clarity and initiative. Before the year ends,

Pipe Band rarely stands still. Music evolves, plans shift, people come and go, expectations rise, and moments of challenge and opportunity collide at pace. Yet time and again, what endures is teamwork, shared responsibility, and the quiet dedication of pipers, drummers, and leaders who show up ready to serve something larger than themselves. This weekend reminded me why leadership inside a pipe band matters so deeply. Beyond rehearsals and performances, bands carry responsibi

On Monday, December 15th, Wake and District Pipe Band held its Annual General Meeting, with more than half of our membership participating either in person or online via webinar. Strong turnout speaks volumes. People showed up because this band matters to them. AGM nights aren’t glamorous. They aren’t concerts or parades. They’re where honesty lives, where direction gets set, and where shared responsibility becomes real. This year’s meeting carried all of that weight — and pl

Remember when you picked up the instrument for the first time… Or when you put on a kilt and felt tradition settle around you. When you saw yourself in uniform and felt ten feet tall. When you stepped into a circle and heard your sound blend into something bigger than yourself. Pure pride. Pure excitement. Pure connection. No one prepares you for how quickly early fire can dim. How people can wear on you. How small comments or unchecked egos can shake your confidence. How po